Soul Brothers
by AnnaStormRogers
Summary: AU. Arthur and Merlin's first meeting was on Arthur's 15th birthday. It turned out to be the best birthday Arthur had ever had. Also, Merlin has fulfilled his destiny before even knowing he had one. Little Merlin. NO SLASH.


**A/N: Hello readers! This is my first ever fanfiction. Please be nice. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Any flames that need to be written on PM please.**

 **About this story, this is an AU where magic is legal. Arthur is king and knows about Merlin's magic. Also, there is a 10 year age gap between Arthur and Merlin. Sorry if any characters are OOC. I tried to keep them as true to character as I could. All mistakes are my own. I do not own Merlin or any of its characters. Now on with the story.**

Soul Brothers

"It was a beautiful day. And we spent the entire time out here hunting. Really Arthur?", Merlin complained to the young king. "Why waste a perfectly nice day to kill little fluffy animals? I mean, what did the poor….", the boy trailed off as he noticed that the king wasn't even looking at him. "Arthur? Are you alright, you prat?" He snapped his fingers in front of Arthur's face and this snapped the king out of his thoughts. I'm fine Merlin. Just…..thinking. Merlin grinned and asked in mock surprise,"You sure you can do that for yourself?"

"Actually, I've been here before. Back when I was your age.", Arthur said, ignoring his friend's jab. He looked across the lake from the shore where they had set up camp.

"I spent the best birthday I have ever had on this shore."

"You spent your birthday alone on a shore of a lake? And it was the best one you've ever had? That is just sad."

"Oh no Merlin. I wasn't alone. I wasn't alone at all."

10 years ago

The castle was quiet and dreary, King Uther watched from his window as his son attacked a training dummy as if it was his worst enemy. He turned away from the window. Fifteen years. Fifteen years since he lost his wife. Fifteen years since The Great Purge began. And yet, the revenge that he sought for his wife's death for all those years did not ease the pain in his heart. Looking at his son on the anniversary of her death just hurt even more. He loved his son, but he reminded the king too much of his wife. He considered spending the day with him but then thought the better of it. He locked the doors and sat down on his bed. He decided that he could be the stoic King of Camelot the next day. Today, he was a grieving man alone with the memories of his beloved.

Arthur stepped away from the shredded training dummy and wiped the sweat off his face. He entered the castle and made his way towards his father's chambers. He tried the doors and realised that they were locked. _Of course_ , he thought. _Why wouldn't they be? It has been this way for the past fourteen years. Besides, if I had never been born, my mother would still be alive._

Turning away, he found that his feet had carried him to the stables. In a few moments, after getting a stable boy to saddle his horse, he was riding away from the citadel as if his life depended on it. Eventually, he stopped and realised that he was at the edge of the Lake of Wildermore. It was a place he always went to when he was troubled and needed to be alone.

It was perfect. Quiet and peaceful, where no one would disturb him. But today, the silence was deafening and the peace, non-existent. The guilt of his mother's death and his father's subsequent grief weighed heavily on him. Picking up a handful of reddish yellow leaves, he threw them into the air and watched as they fluttered back towards the ground. "Happy birthday, Arthur….", he whispered softly. His voice cracked at the last word and a few traitorous tears slipped down his face. He wiped them away harshly and closed his eyes. _A prince does not cry… a prince does not show weakness….._ He repeated to himself over and over again. But even as he said those words, more tears forced their way through tightly closed eyelids. He felt one of them carve its way down his cheek and made no move to wipe it off. So, he was startled when a small hand touched his face and intercepted it and wiped it away. On instinct, his eyes snapped open and he grabbed the hand, reaching for his sword at the same time. He froze when he realised that it was only a child, tiny, with jet black hair, very pale skin and huge blue eyes. He couldn't be more than five years old.

Arthur wiped his face in embarrassment and asked the child," Where are your parents? What are you doing here?"

" You're sad.", the boy said in a matter of fact tone, without answering his question. Before Arthur could respond to that, the child was climbing onto his lap. Taken by surprise, Arthur instinctively put his arms around the child in case he fell. The boy snuggled into his lap and leaned against his chest. Normally, Arthur would have felt incredibly uncomfortable and attempt to set the child down and tell him to go home, but now, it felt right to let the boy stay where he was. He couldn't explain what it was but he felt an immediate connection to the child, as if he had known him all his life. It felt like the child was part of him, part of his soul, like a long lost brother, and he couldn't explain the feeling. So, he just wrapped his arms around the boy and they just sat there, looking over the lake.

After a while, the child shifted and looked up at Arthur." You're sad.", he said again, looking upset. "My mum always says 'This too shall pass.' She never lies to me.I don't know what is making you sad.", he continued, small fingers playing with Arthur's sleeve,"But it will go away too. Like the rain and the night and the cold always do. Always."

The boy smiled a sweet, innocent smile. Arthur smiled back, a small, sad smile. _If only… it were that easy_ , he thought dejectedly, hugging him closer. The child frowned before saying excitedly, "Look!" As Arthur watched, the boy's eyes burned gold and a small ball of bluish white light appeared in his palm. It then floated up and towards Arthur, at eye level. It was absolutely beautiful…..

It was magic.

Arthur gasped in shock. He stared at the boy and stiffened as the light floated closer. Then… it touched his cheek. A gentle, warm feeling, like a father's hug or a mother's kiss. Tentatively, he reached towards the light. It settled in his palm and he stared at it in awe. This magic was pure, gentle and good. Of course it was not evil, Arthur decided. It couldn't be.

Arthur had never fully agreed with his father's view on magic. Now, after the boy's little display, he was convinced that his father was wrong. Arthur laughed, a joyful, slightly hysterical laugh.

The child grinned up at him and asked," Are you happy now?"

"Yes.",Arthur replied. And it was the truth.

Tiny arms encircled Arthur's neck and he hugged the boy back gently." Good. Nobody should be so sad." Arthur said nothing, only squeezed him tighter.

Soon, he got up, still cradling the child in his arms. He walked towards his horse, ready to take the child home. Just as he was about to ask the boy whether he lived in the nearby village, a woman with brown hair came into sight.

She looked relieved when she saw the boy so Arthur asked the boy,"Is she your mum?" At the boy's nod, he set him down and walked closer to the woman. Before she could say a word, he said, quietly. So that the boy did not hear," Take him to one of the border villages. A boy with his abilities is not safe so near Camelot. The woman's eyes widened and she nodded. Taking her son's hand, she began to lead him away when he pulled back and ran back to the prince, hugging him around his legs.

Arthur bent down to be on eye level with the child and the boy wordlessly handed him a chain with a silver coloured Merlin pendant. Arthur was about to refuse but the boy pouted,"Please? So that you don't forget me." Taking the tiny hands in his, Arthur said,"I could never forget you."

The child grinned as if Arthur had made his day."You really are special, aren't you?", Arthur said fondly, running a hand through the soft hair. Standing up, the guided the child back to his mother. "Go.", was all he said. She nodded and smiled gratefully before disappearing into the trees with her son.

"It was only when I reached the castle that I realised that I had never asked his name.", Arthur said. "You remind me of him you know. The pale skin, the black hair, the blue eyes and of course, the magic. But what am I saying? You could never be that deep Merlin.", the king jested. Without looking at the 15 year old he pulled out the necklace the child had given him all those years before. Only then did he notice the stunned look on his friend's face.

"What?", he asked, confused.

Merlin suddenly grinned,"A lot can change in ten years. Right Arthur?"

Arthur gaped and then seemed to recover," Figures, I send you away and you come back anyway." Throwing an arm around the boy, he pulled him closer to his side. They sat in a comfortable silence just staring at the campfire before Arthur said,"Merlin? I'm glad you came back, brother."

"So am I Arthur. Very glad."

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AnnaStormRogers


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